If you do business online, the most important part of it is to be able to offer your customers the most convenient way to pay for their purchases. In the past decade, buying on-line has become a global trend, with millions of transactions happening every day. And, of course, the payment methods that customers use to pay for a product have diversified. In the beginning credit cards were the only option, but now there are several websites, such as PayPal or Moneybookers that offer other payment solutions and have become very popular. Some online vendors accept only these e-wallet payments without a direct credit card payment option without thinking that they might lose customers. Credit card payment is still a preferred payment method for most online customers.
Find out why customers use credit cards more often compared to other payment methods:

1. No need to register anywhere - there is no need for a customer to register or have an account on any of the websites to complete the purchase (unlike with e-wallet payments).

2. Fast and convenient – credit card transaction is processed within seconds once your customer enters card details on your checkout page. An order gets approved or declined instantly. Unlike with echecks or bank wire payments, the order can be shipped immediately after the payment, because the funds are deposited instantly to a vendors merchant account.

3. Fraud protection - credit card companies offer customers a better protection against fraud and it enables you to chargeback if the merchandise is not what you expected. So customers are more protected when they buy online and they feel safe when ordering a product.

4. Additional security layers - Visa and Mastercard have developed special Verified by Visa and Mastercard SecureCode programs that add an additional security layer for all card purchases. Once this feature is implemented, the customer is asked to provide a certain password during a purchase. This ensures the safety of an order – that card is used only by the authorised person. Customers feel safe when they order your product. It is proved that having this feature working on your website will bring you more sales. At the same time you – as a vendor – are protected from the majority of possible chargebacks with ‘I didn’t do it’ reason.

5. Get rewarded - customers are also likely to get reward points from their credit card banks for using a card often, which can bring them benefits in the long run. So they prefer to use cards even more.

6. Pay in credit - your customers can pay you using their credit card limit – even if they don’t have enough funds at the moment by borrowing money from a bank. This increases your sales even more.

7. Get more international customers - if you sell online internationally then your foreign customers will be more likely to pay using their credit cards than any other payment method. So it is a must for you to accept card payments in order not to lose potential customers.

Direct credit card payments account for around 50% to 85% of total online orders. This percentage depends on your industry and niche. If your product is more oriented towards the majority of people that don’t spend much time online, then you will get much more credit card orders compared to Paypal or any other payments. Moreover, US based buyers tend to use more e-wallet type of payments compared to international customers – from the Western Europe, etc.

If you are serious about online business, you should be offering as many convenient payment methods as possible. This way your customers will have a better choice to complete their payment and they will select the most suitable payment method. Offering credit card payments along with Paypal will definitely increase your sales compared to only credit card payment option, so make sure your online shop always offer the most popular payment methods. Then your customers will not have any problem placing an order on your website.

It is well known that you can save a lot of money by simply transferring your credit card balance from one lender to another, what is less known is that in some cases, you can loose out.

Below are some scenarios whereby you would loose out by transferring your balance.

When you have a small balance left
What is considered a small balance may vary from person to person but if you're capable of paying it off in 3 4 months, consider that a small balance.

Almost all lenders will charge you a balance transfer fee of around 2 4%. Assuming that your old interest rate was 15%, a 4% balance transfer fee would have covered interest payments of over 3 months. In this case, you would break even in 4 months on a 0% balance transfer deal. Unless there are other benefits, it isn't worth transferring your balance in this scenario.
When the interest free period is too short
Before deciding on a balance transfer offer, consider the size of your credit card balance, ideally the offer should last long enough for you to be able to pay off all that you transferred or at least reduce it substantially. The risk in this scenario is that some credit cards will hike your post-offer interest rate so high that it would wipe out any gains you made during the interest free period.

When faced with stringent conditions
Like any other contract, credit cards have conditions though some are more stringent than others; with credit card contracts, sometimes buried deep in the fine print are conditions that might turn what seemed like a great deal into a nightmare. The most common condition is that you must always make your repayments on time, a late payment would trigger the withdrawal of the offer and you would be left with high interest repayments.

Does it seem as though the best credit card offers are as elusive as the famous lost arkc You're not alone. Many consumers don't have the first idea where to go to find the great credit card offers that others have been able to find. Is it a luck of the draw situationc Absolutely not. It's just a matter of knowing where to look and what to look for.

If the world's best credit cards are the destination, then there are just three short steps between you and your goal. These three stops will have you on your way to the best credit card offers in no time.

First Stop -- The Mirror

What does looking in the mirror have to do with finding the best credit card offersc Quite a lot, actually.

Just as all credit cards aren't created equal, neither are all applicants. What's your credit likec What are your monthly spending habitsc Do you carry a balance on your credit card or do you pay it off each monthc The answers to each of these questions will determine the best credit cards for your specific situation.

Want a credit card with a low interest rate and great rewardsc So does everyone else. Unless you have stellar credit, it's not going to happen.

Like the idea of cash back bonusesc Who doesn'tc Unless you pay your credit cards in full each month, however, the higher interest rate associated with cash-back credit cards isn't going to be for you.

As you can see, your personal situation does indeed affect which credit card offers are actually the best for you. This means the first step towards finding the best credit cards involves a bit of self-evaluation.

Second Stop -- The Internet

Now that you've visited the mirror and you understand exactly what type of credit cards are best for you, it's time to visit the Web to locate the best credit card offers.

Gone are the days when you had to rely on junk mail for finding the best credit card offers and welcome to the Age of the Internet. Now the best credit card offers are just a mouse click away and making apples to apples comparisons is just a matter of knowing where to go.

Of course, you can't always trust the websites of the actual credit card companies. They're just promoting their own cards with carefully-worded marketing material. What you need to do is hit a website that has a rundown of all of the best credit card offers on the Web.

By using the Internet to research the best credit card offers, you'll be able to match your needs to the credit card offer that meets them.

Third Stop -- Your Mailbox

Once you find the best credit card offers and you apply for the credit cards that have exactly what you need, the last stop on your journey is your mailbox -- where your new credit cards will be arriving. While many credit cards arrive just a few short days after your approval, remember that some credit cards can take up to a few weeks to arrive.

When your credit cards do arrive, remember to compare the terms and conditions in the literature with the terms and conditions outlined in the offer you applied for. The best credit card offers in the world won't do you any good if the offer you applied for isn't the card you actually get.